Anyway, this is the branch in Taman Melati, near my house where my mother in law loves to frequent. I am not such a huge fan of sates since a kid as I truly do not know how to appreciate satay sauce and all but I find myself liking the satay here and would have at about 3 sticks when I am here...

The ambiance... nice huge old fashion pictures made into wall papers bring back nostalgic moments of times gone by and how sate sellers plied their wares all those many years ago...

Jan 26, 2014

Stepping into the centre court of the Curve was like stepping into Japan or somewhere with lots of spring blossoms and lanterns. It was pretty. Their theme this year was of new beginnings...

Pretty cherry blossoms and lanterns....

One of their performances...

and ribbon dance... pretty but the costumes seem a bit too flashy, at least to me.. my elder daughter quoted that her eyes got "flashed" by the gaudiness and colours....

What my girls and I were looking forward to... award winning acrobatic lion dance show by Kwong Ngai association who were champions in this year's competition against other countries as well... They were first this year to China's troupe which came second and Singapore which came third...

Anne waiting impatiently for the show to begin...

And.... Acccccttttiiiiooooooon

Little daughter Anne says.... awww....so cute...

Amazing breathtaking stunts.....

Giving out mandarin oranges /"Gold"..The Chinese believe it is good luck to get mandarin oranges from a lion...

Let's go for a walk boy.....The little boy is pretty used to seeing lions and not afraid... Kudos boy!!

Recently I was down with dengue. It was kind of silly because I was also pretty confused having just joint a gym and getting involved almost immediately with a high impact workout, so I thought I was suffering from "Demam Urat" as some people put it. Don't ask me the translation in English as I have yet found out what it actually is.

Anyway, I was really down and out with muscle aches and body aches and a high fever and chills. Finally, I began to suspect that I could have dengue and decided to go and get my blood platelets tested by my family doctor.

He called me up and said he had bad news. I definitely had dengue with just a blood platelet count of 76 and advised me to get myself warded in the hospital. My cousin too, insisted I checked myself into the hospital which I did.

The awful part came... the injections and needles. I hate that the most. Anyway, my eldest daughter decided to check her blood too and she too had dengue, so both of us were warded into the hospital just one day difference, her being one day later then me.

One of the things I hate the most....

The 'pretty' encouraging view from the 8th floor of the Tawakkal hospital. My daughter was warded in the Ambrosia ward whilst yours truly here was warded in the Azalea ward.

The appetizing looking fish and chips which was not so appetizing after all...

Having dengue is definitely no joke. I guess I am fortunate not to have to go through a blood transfusion as some of my family members did and I have been discharged from the hospital for one week now, after they have deemed my blood platelets rising back, after the fall (blood platelets fell until the count of 50 - Normal being at least 150), but my body feels dehydrated and still very tired and I cannot overtaxed myself still or risk feeling giddy . I have never felt so lousy in my entire life either, not when I got chicken pox or measles and such.

And for the traditional methods, they did not quite work for me, or if they did, it was pretty slow.. Not sure why but... I did have 100 plus, a lot of it but it made me even more thirsty and crazy, crab soup did not quite help much and even the bitter papaya leaves extract my colleague and friend was truly kind hearted to blend with some honey to make it more palatable for me.. considering my blood platelets only came up about 20+ the next day.
My consulting doctor was pretty kind and I appreciate his advice and care, thanks Dr Tengku Shaifudin and also to all the nurses in Azalea ward, Hospital KPJ Tawakkal.

Synopsis:The King of Lan Ling is one of the four most handsome men in ancient Chinese history. A masterful warrior, he led his army into battle and vanquished his foes while wearing a fearsome mask to hide his beauty. The King of Lan Ling’s name is Gao Chang Gong and he was a famed general and prince during the Northern Qi period. His legend painted him as a generous and loyal person, who treated his soldiers with care and respect.

A prophecy foretold that victory goes to the one who has the priestess blessing. Yang Xue Wu, the last priestess of her clan, unwittingly embroiled in a war between Northern Qi and Northern Zhou. Although she foresees a tragic fate for Lan Ling Wang, the military general of Northern Qi, she nonetheless falls in love with him and helps him win the war against Yuwen Yong, the Emperor of Northern Zhou. However, her action only brings him closer to his fate. As his standing among his people grows, so does the murderous jealousy in Crown prince’s heart. Can she protect him when it’s family who wants him dead

Crowned with the title “Beautiful God of War”, Lan Ling Wang is an undefeatable and strong general, who possesses both strength and intelligence. As a prince with royal blood, he treats everyone equally, regardless of their rank and background. He who fights in the war wishes that every battle he participates in, will bring him closer to his goal of having world peace. Being a kindhearted man, he chose to wear a demonic mask whenever he goes on a war, and under the mask, he becomes a cruel and heartless general who soar to bring victory to his kingdom. Upon seeing his mother’s fate not being able to be with the man she loves he vowed to marry and love only one woman in his lifetime, not wanting his wife to share the same fate as his mother.

The last descendant of the legendary line of female seers known as the Heavenly Maiden. An innocent, cheerful, smart, kindhearted and innovative girl who loves experimenting and inventing new things, often causing trouble in her village. As Xue Wu had never taken a step out of her village, she is ignorant about things going on in the world and easily trust strangers she meet, and often willing to step out bravely and protect what she think is right. Even with her limited medical knowledge, she is able to cure many illnesses and coupled with her intelligence, people unanimously acknowledged her as the Heavenly Maiden.(Jiang Yi Yi 蒋依依 as young Yang Xue Wu)

As a natural ruler with good looks, wisdom, perception and strength, Yu Wen Yong is also a ruthless Emperor who does not tolerate betrayal. Having to survive in the Palace to protect his throne, he learnt to think calmly, protect himself and to never reveal his weakness to anyone. Even as the ruler of the Kingdom of Zhou who lacks nothing, he is unable to open his heart to anyone due to the cruel environment he grew up in. He views Lan Ling Wang as a respectable rival and cares for Yang Xue Wu, unfortunately, only one of them can survive to be the ruler of the North.[6]

An De Wang is Lan Ling Wang’s beloved younger half brother, he is also a capable assistant of Lan Ling Wang in his work and private life. Entering the Palace with the same circumstance as his elder brother, he is very dependent and loyal to his brother. He will carry out Lan Ling Wang’s order with no complains and is extremely protective of him. An De Wang is a sweet talker and flirtatious man who treats every woman with love, hence, he has a harem of concubines in his household. He is also the match-maker of Lan Ling Wang and Xue Wu, and is often the mood-maker in the series.

Born as the Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Qi, many people had high expectations from him. Gao Wei is kindhearted in nature, but being overshadowed by his cousin, Lan Ling Wang, he slowly became a multi-faceted and cruel man. In the series, he showed the extreme ends of kindness and cruelty of human being, resorting to any means in order to get the throne. He is willing to do anything for the love of his life Zheng Er and is blinded by that love.

Zheng Er used to be the palace maid of the previous Empress of Qi, a beautiful and innocent girl who fell in love with Lan Ling Wang at first sight. She was a candidate for Lan Ling Wang’s Official Wife and is skilled in cooking, music and dancing. She would resort to any means in order to be with the man she loves. Due to various incident, she turned her love for Lan Ling Wang to hatred, took on the identity of Feng Xiao Lian and became the current Empress of Qi. Feng Xiao Lian is an extremely scheming Empress who manipulates the Emperor of Qi (Gao Wei) in the shadow to revenge the two people who made her life miserable.

Shawn Wei 魏千翔 as Han Xiao Dong 韓曉冬

Xiao Dong is the forever guardian angel of Xue Wu and is extremely loyal and caring towards her. He is secretly in love with Xue Wu, and regardless of his poor background, Xue Wu regards him as her best friend. He sees Xue Wu as a beautiful moon in the sky, a faraway beauty in which he can never reach. He vowed to use his life to protect Xue Wu, and he is often seen arguing with Zheng Er.

Northern Qi official and Gao Wei's trusted adviser. Causes tension between Lan Ling Wang and Gao Wei by instilling jealousy in Gao Wei. Planned to betray Northern Qi empire by poisoning Yuwen Yong and controlling him. Northern Qi army turns against him and he is killed in the hands of Lan Ling Wang.

Even though the Empress’s marriage with Yuwen Yong is a political move, she loves Yuwen Yong deeply. She is a wise and knowledgeable woman who is able to aid her husband to acquire and become the ruler of the North wholeheartedly. Even with all the things she had done for Yuwen Yong, she is still unable to capture his heart.

Northern Zhou general. Ambitious and unscrupulous, his main goal is for victory against the enemy. Loyal subordinate of Yuwen Yong. Yuwen Yong was forced to kill him after the Chief Minister Yuwen Hu shames him for losing a battle against Lan Ling Wang.

Zhang Zi Mu 張籽沐 as Yuwen Zhen 宇文貞

Yuwen Yong's niece. She is a sickly child. Yuwen Yong is very protective of her since her father was killed by his uncle Yuwen Hu.